Introduction

The electric wheelchair is vital for people with reduced mobility who want to retain their independence and safety and enjoy the most complete equipment when moving indoors and outdoors, thanks to its outstanding maneuverability.

Generally, all wheelchairs can be customized in terms of size, seat position, and backrest. In addition, they have armrests and adjustable and removable footrests. However, choosing a customized wheelchair will depend on three personal factors: the user, suitability for use, and the environment.

Today, we will show you what factors to consider when choosing a custom wheelchair supplier. Hence, stay tuned for all the details below!

How to find out the popular wheelchair style to customize?

If you want to keep up with the latest trends in custom wheelchair styles, we recommend you follow some of the tips mentioned next, such as:

1. Research Current Trends

One of the best ways to stay current on power wheelchair trends is to follow news sources in this sector, you can do it by subscribing to related blogs or following news sites on social media.

Likewise, if you sign up for wheelchair publications from world-class universities, institutions, and companies, you can receive early information on new trends and developments that will be available shortly.

Doing this will expose you to various perspectives on current trends. You can also follow specific companies or thought leaders in the wheelchair sector to understand better where the industry is headed.

2. Seek Input from Peers and Professionals

Another way to stay on top of current trends is to attend conferences and wheelchair community meetings. These events are great opportunities to network with industry professionals and learn about the best electric wheelchair developments. In addition, many conferences offer workshops or training sessions where you can learn more about changes in the custom electric wheelchair industry.

In addition, another great way to stay up-to-date on current trends is to attend electric wheelchair supplier trade shows. These events are often geared toward professionals and offer information on new products.

3. Review Manufacturer Catalogs and Options for Custom Wheelchair

A common way to discover the trends in the industry is with manufacturer catalogs of wheelchairs for sale. This way, you will be able to understand the products on the market and all customized options clearly. Likewise, many catalogs include images, detailed descriptions, and prices, making purchasing decisions easier.

Pro Tip:  Following is a list of some of the most popular styles of custom wheelchair:

• Folding Electric Wheelchair
• Lightweight electric wheelchair
• Standing Up Electric Wheelchair
• All-Terrain Power Wheelchair
• Tilting power wheelchair

Related: How to Choose Different Types of Wheelchairs for Elderly

Ways to choose the right custom wheelchair supplier?

There are many factors to consider when choosing a custom wheelchair supplier, so we gather some key points to evaluate during this process. Likewise, we suggest to develop a list of potential suppliers after identifying your company’s needs. One of the easiest ways to find potential suppliers is to tap into their personal and business networks.

1. Define Requirements for Your Custom Wheelchair

The customized wheelchair must be fully adapted to the person who is going to use it, so it must be analyzed:

• The pathology and degree of disability
• Physical characteristics such as body measurements and weight
• Patient’s lifestyle, work (long distances), or hobbies
• Ease of folding and transport
• Safety of the wheelchair to prevent falls and tipping

On the other hand, the characteristics of the environment must be taken into account, although these are usually adapted once the wheelchair has been acquired (dimensions of doors and corridors).

2. Verify Customization Capabilities

When choosing a wheelchair supplier, it is essential to ask about their manufacturing process, how they handle the customization of wheelchairs, and how long it takes to manufacture each wheelchair. Pay attention to all the customization options to ensure the supplier can cover all the requested elements.

Furthermore, if the supplier performs testing, this would be an excellent opportunity to evaluate the reliability of the final product before making a purchase.

Pro Tip: Request a portfolio with the custom wheelchair designs the supplier has manufactured to corroborate their expertise in each type of custom wheelchair.

3. Evaluate Quality and Durability

One of the most important elements when evaluating wheelchair supplier options is product quality. Therefore, before placing an order, you should ensure the manufacturer has good quality standards that guarantee customer satisfaction, even after finalizing the purchase (providing support for any inconvenience that may arise).

For this, you should verify the quality of the materials used, how the production process is carried out, and whether it complies with legal standards in the industry. This way, you can be sure that you are acquiring a quality product with a good durability time.

Pro Tip: Check the warranty, product return, refunds, and order cancellation policies. This way, you will know you are dealing with a reliable company.

4. Consider Budget and Affordability

Budgetary issues are vital before deciding, but only after making a list of candidate companies by quality range. Then, you should review the companies’ catalogs and request cost estimates. Hence, you can corroborate that the wheelchair supplier’s quotation is affordable for the user’s financial profile or can be covered by insurance.

Although the budget factor is essential, you should not decide based solely on price. In any case, make sure that the savings made in cost reduction do not compromise the quality and safety of the supplier’s custom wheelchairs.

On the other hand, remember that even if prices are high, it does not necessarily mean that the products are of good quality. Therefore, you should focus on price only as a deciding factor among the various supplier options available.

5. Assess Customer Support and Service

A reliable supplier is a business partner with whom you can make more favorable deals in the future. To do this, you must research the ratings of the company and the reviews of the wheelchairs for sale.

Moreover, evaluate their response times to your questions, their secure payment methods, delivery times, and their warranty policies. Likewise, it would help if you always preferred suppliers with certifications, recognitions, and years of experience.

Pro Tip: The biggest red flag is when a supplier communicates poorly with you. If this is how they behave before you purchase, it must be much worse after a post-purchase issue.

Related: Top 10 Power Wheelchair Manufacturers in China

The whole process of wheelchair customization

The manufacturing processes of a wheelchair give us a general overview of its quality, so paying attention to each of its phases is essential. Let’s take a look at the steps to follow to get a customized wheelchair:

1. Initial Assessment and Consultation

The first step in ordering a custom wheelchair is to contact your supplier and, if possible, meet with them to discuss all customization details. It is essential to provide as much information as possible (measurements, materials, details about the environment in which the chair will be used, and more).

This way, the specialist will understand your current and future needs to manufacture the product that most closely matches your requirements.

Pro Tip: The materials of the wheelchair should be chosen according to your daily dynamics. For example, if your wheelchair is for sports, you will probably need it to be much more aerodynamic and lightweight, and there are particular materials for that.

2. Customization Design and Planning

Once all the required details have been discussed, the next step is to look at all the customization options offered by the vendor and choose the ones that fit the user’s needs. During this phase, we can note the importance of good communication with the supplier so that he can understand what we want to achieve and translate it into the design.

It would also be helpful to create a digital mockup of the wheelchair to preview how it will look once it is manufactured. This way, the supplier can make all the relevant modifications to get a clean mockup of the requested wheelchair.

3. Implementation and Finalization

After the final prototype of the wheelchair is obtained, they search for materials, unique components, and everything necessary for its manufacture. In addition, they coordinate the delivery of the wheelchair once it is ready.

As mentioned, it is essential to be aware of the wheelchair manufacturer’s warranty policies to avoid the user being affected if an incident occurs during or after the wheelchair customization process.

Conclusion

Before hiring a manufacturer of custom wheelchairs, it is advisable to be aware of the latest innovations and changes in the industry so you can have a better idea of how to order your wheelchair. Likewise, to determine which wheelchair manufacturer is best for you, you should list potential manufacturers and rule out candidates based on their customization options, product quality, estimated budgets, customer service, and company reputation.

When unsure about which manufacturer to choose, it is vital to prioritize the one that offers the best manufacturing quality, is open to more customization options, and has good customer satisfaction policies. This way, the user will have the best ally to improve mobility and quality of life.

Additional Resources

• Numotion is one of the largest providers of custom mobility solutions in the United States.
• National Seating & Mobility is a global leader providing 360-degree Complete Mobility Solutions.
• Abilities Expo: It is a series of trade shows held in different cities, focusing on disability products, services, and resources.
• International Seating Symposium: This conference focuses on seating and mobility for individuals with disabilities.
• Rehacare International: It is a leading trade fair for rehabilitation, inclusion, and care.